Exercising apparatus



NOV. 25, 1930. K, K|EFER 1,782,728

EXERCISING APPARATUS Filed June 28. 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 NOV. 25, 1930. K l KlEFER 1,782,728

EXERC I S ING APPARATUS Filed June 28, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 zVenaP Patented Nov. 25, 1930 KARL KIEFER. F CINCINNATI, O HIO XERCISING APPARATUS Application led June 28,

, people, whichis the cas'ewith the row boat.

The resistance' of the water when rowing slowly is slight and in the exercising appa-v ratus there must be provision for giving the person rowing a certain amount of work to do, which can be regulated from easiest glid- 1ing along, to hard Work of a training athvete.

The apparatus must be so constructed, as to give a full stroke of the racing scull and to allow the abdominal portion of thev body to come in vcontact with the knees, and it must, therefore, have amovable seat that should glide with no friction on rollers. -To use this full stroke would make the apparatus of considerable length, and one of m'y improvements is to make this apparatus foldable when not in use.

Another improvementof my exerciser is to make the construction such that it is very low and light, so low that it can be shoved under the lowest bed in the bedroom, and light enough so that it can be put in a closet, if necessary. Only by making an apparatus that meets the requirements as set forth,

can it be used at home-in the modern fiat with necessarily small bedrooms,-in the modest home Where no other room for the 40 exercise in the early morning or evening is available.

My improvement also consists in the simplicity of construction so that it can be manufaeturedA at a very reasonable cost, so as to extend its useto the great mass of people 1928. Serial No. 288,823.

and thereby prove beneficial to their health and well-being. t 'ghe apparatus is illustrated in Figs. 1

. Fig. 1 shows a top view of the machine 5b ready for use;

Fig. 2 shows. a side view of the machine;

Fig..3 shows an enlarged side view of the working mechanism;

Fig. .4 shows a cross section of the same mechanism;

Fig. 5 shows a detail of the clutch;

t Fig. 6 shows the roller track in cross seclon.

In Fig. 1, A and A1 is a pair of rails 30 shown in cross section in Figs. lLand 6. The end of those rails are fastened in frames B and B1. C is the seat for the rower, concaved to correspond to the body line, which is mounted on rollers 1 shown in detail in 35 Fig. 6. A shaft 2 carries the rollers and is fastened on projections of the seat C. The rollers gliding in the interior of the rails are protected from dust and dirt and there is no danger of the wearing apparel of the oper- .Y

ator being caught in the rollers, nor grease from the rollers soiling the body of the exercising person. D in Figs. 1 and 2, is a handle bar corresponding to the oars of a row boat. This handle bar is connected to a stout, at, cotton tape 3, which rolls around an idler 4: and from there acts upon the sheave 5, to which it is fastened. Sheave 5 is a part of the operating mechanism and is shown in detail in Figs. 3 and 4. The tape 3 is shown 80 in Fig. 4, to have been wound four or five times around the sheave 5 and when unwound it ought to equal the longest stroke required. The sheave 5 has a hollow casing in the center of which is a spiral steel spring 6, which on the return stroke tends to Wind the tape 3 on the anged sheave portion. The spring 6 is fastened at its center on the stationary shaft 7, this shaft is prevented from turning by flat portions 8 as shown in Fig. 3, which 90 are resting in corresponding portions of two side frame members 9 and 9. The sheave 5 rotates freely on this shaft 7. It is evident therefore, that in rowing, the operator has to overcome the slight resistance of the spring 6 when pulling the handle bar D towards him.

The actual work of rowing however, is produced by a brake mechanism which consists of the brake drum 10 shown in detail in Fig. 4, of the exterior brake band shown in Fig. 3, and the clutch mechanism shown in detail in Fig. 5. The operation of this clutch mechanism is such as to connect the brake mechanism on the working stroke of the operator, but entirely releases it on the return stroke.

The clutch mechanism is shown in cross section in Fig. 4 on the interior of the brake drum 10 and in elevation in Fig. 5. It consists of the swinging member 12 (Fig. 5), rotating around the hub 13 of the brake drum 10, the ball 14 and the spring 15. A pin 16 whichis fastened to member 12, also projects into the cover 17 of the sheave 5. Member 12 therefore, moves forward and backward in unison with the sheave 5 on the return and working stroke.

Member 12 has an eccentric surface 18 shown in Fig. 5, which is preferably hardened, and the ball 15 wedges itself between this eccentric surface 18 and a circular groove 19 in the brake drum 10 corresponding exactly to the curvature of the ball 14. The spring 15 will keep this ball always in contact with surfaces 18 and 19. When member 12 by the driving pin 16 is moved in the direction of the arrow 2O then the brake drum 1() must follow the movement as the ball 14 wedges itself tight between the two surfaces 18 and 19. v

The brake band 23 is fastened by means of a member 22 to an angle iron 21, which is fastened to the two side rails A and A (Fig.

This member 22 shown in dotted lines in Fig. 3, holds the brake band itself stationary. The actual braking surface is shown in dotted lines and is represented by 24 (Fig. 3). This surface 24 consists of an ordinary automobile brake lining.

The spring 25 (Fig. 3), keeps the brake constantly open, unless tightened by thumb screw 26. In the operation the brake drum 10 only operates intermittently on the working stroke, while on the return stroke the ball 14 is disengaged when the member 12 is rotated in the opposite direction of the arrow 20, the ball passing to the wider space afforded by the eccentric surface 18. The opcrator therefore, can adjust this brake band according to his own liking. The thumb screws 26 being accessible and in front of him, he can do entirely without it and only overcome the resistance of the spiral spring 6 of the sheave 5, or he can tighten the brake drum as tight as he wishes.

'E and E (Fig. 1) are two foot rests, and their use is evident from a similar use in row Exo/ats. They are fastened to the rails A and The idler 4 is carried by a frame work F and F, that extends beyond the frame work consisting of A and A and B and B. These members F and F are fulcrumed on studs 27 and 27 and this frame F and F can be swung as shown in Fig. 2 by the large dotted arc, until it assumes the position as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2. It therefore will fall within the confines of the frame A and A and B and B. Studs 27 and 27 are fastened to two frame members 9 and 9', which are fastened on one side to the frame member B (Fig. 1), and on the other side to the angle iron 21. These frames 9 and 9, shown more clearly in Fig. 4, have right angle projections 28 and 28", and the frames F and F are held when in operation, so that they remain in position. Vhen it is desired to fold them backwards, the frames F and F being made of elastic material, can be moved together, toward each other, and they will then pass these angle projections 28 and 28', enabling folding them backwards.

lVhat I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

' 1. In a rowing machine, a movable seat with rollers, said rollers located underneath the seat in a pair of hollow rails, which enclose said rollers and prevent the clothing of the operator from being caught between the rollers and the track.

2'. In a rowing ap aratus, a combination of a pair of hollow rai s, a movable seat on rollers, the rollers moving wit-hin said rails and protected thereby, a pair of supports at the end of these rails and connecting them, an extending and folding arm hinged near the end of the rails so as to extend beyond the rails when in use and thereby lengthen the stroke beyond the rails and folding within the rails when not in use, an idler journaled in the said arm at the extremities thereof, a friction apparatus fastened to the frame, a flexible member associated with the friction apparatus, said member passing over the said idler, and a handle bar fixed to the end of said flexible member, means associated with the friction apparatus adapted to frictionally resist movement thereof when a pulling force is applied to said flexible member. and automatically relieve the friction when the pulling force is released.

3. In a rowing machine, a combination of a pair of rails and frames connecting them and serving as feet, a pair of foot rests at the end of these rails, an extending and folding arm hinged near the end of the rails so as to extend beyond the rails when in use and thereby lengthen the stroke beyond the rails and folding with the rails when not in use, an idler journaled4 in the said arm at the extremities thereof, a friction apparatus fastened to the frame, a flexible member asso'oiated with the friction apparatus, said member passing over the said idler, and a handle bar fixed to the end of said flexible member, means associated with the friction apparatus adapted to frictionally resist Vmovement thereof when a pulling force is applied to said flexible member and automatically relieve the friction when the pull-- ing force is released. v

KARL KIEFER. 

